God doesn't give us more than we can cope with

I hope your DH has fully recovered Doodle.

Mr. S. has been having prostate problems for years and has had a catheta since Easter. No trace of anything sinister thank God but they don't seem to know what how best to proceed.

Merlotgran. so sorry to hear about your DH. Here's hoping that the source of the infection is found and dealt with swiftly.

No probs, Doodle. Years ago a friend of ours died from pancreatic cancer and his symptoms of sudden and alarming fluid retention were uppermost in my mind.

We were reassured today that it's on the list of things they have ruled out.

We've been through this before. The source of an undetected infection last time turned out to be in his colon. All was well after a couple of polyps were removed so hopefully there will be a similar outcome this time.

merlot am sorry to hear your DH has this health problem, and hope there is a good resolution for him soon.
My DH also refers to his ‘dicky ticker’ ( pacemaker) which always makes us both laugh, the character in ‘Allo ‘Allo used to say it.

Sorry merlot I was not suggesting your DH had prostate trouble I was just saying that my DH got full of fluid too (in his case it was following an operation). His undercarriage was a thing to behold!

I'm sure that test is on the list, Doodle. He's going to be in for a few more days yet.

Good to know they're being thorough even though I wish he were home.

Sorry that should be prostate removed not test.

merlot nothing to do with this thread just wanted to tell you that when my DH had his prostate test removed years ago he suddenly started to swell up. I couldn’t believe how huge he became. He could hardly move he was so big. All was well, all the fluid came out and he was back to normal soon. Hope your DH makes a good recovery soon.
God does not create these problems for us but he stands by us and gives us someone to lean on in troubled times.

So sorry to hear that your husband is ill at the moment merlot - I hope they find the cause and knock it rapidly on the head.

The jury is out for me on the existence of a god; but I sure as eggs cannot imagine a supreme being who gets his/her kicks from testing people in such a perverse way. I would have thought that he/she would have been above such pettiness.

I believe in kindness - end of. That seems to me to sum the whole thing up.

I am so sad for you Smileless and merlot and everyone going through difficult times. Sadly I'm afraid it's part of being human and caring for one another.

I personally don't believe in God, but get my support from other kind and compassionate humans. I guess we're all struggling.

This life is hard and each of us finds a way of surviving, whether that it is belief in a supernatural being or in others to help you through.

Gransnet is great for support, mainly.....

God is certainly testing me at the moment. As if losing our beloved daughter in May wasn't enough, DH was rushed into A&E on Wednesday night with a suspected heart attack. He's had a 'dicky ticker' for years and has a pacemaker.

Thankfully, it wasn't but there is definitely a serious infection going on somewhere so he's having a barrage of tests. As of today they still haven't found the cause. Antibiotics are working and diuretics are taking care of the alarming build up of fluid. He put on a stone in weight in a few days!!!

As a family our way of dealing with a crisis is to knuckle down and soldier on but the last few days have been hard emotionally.

I can't say I have as much faith as I used to have but I do agree with the reasoning that when we are tested we dig deep for an inner strength and if a belief in God helps you find it and gives you comfort then so be it.

Smileless, big hugs to you.

Wishing you strength and the ability to endure those very difficult days when the pain of your loss is hard to bear.

I find it amazing that our strength can be renewed, even when we hit rock bottom.

All I can say is - God must think I am a VERY tough cookie!

For me, my philosophy is that life's often hard, for most if not all people. We all have crosses to bear.

I am thankful, despite all the set backs and body blows, I am still carrying mine. Our strength and our attitude gets us through if we are lucky. Some fall along the way and find getting back up a real struggle.

When I told my neighbour (a while ago when one bad time followed another really bad time) that God might be testing me by giving me one heartbreaking trial after another, on top of all the family responsibility and caring I'd had to shoulder alone, she accused me of "letting the Devil in!"

I was quite taken aback and insulted. I like to think we have a higher power who doesn't mind us questioning our lives and sometimes asking "What's it all about?"

I think I am blessed to have strength and determination, despite a fairly dodgy body full of weaknesses and ailments of various sorts. I also look for silver linings in most clouds, if I possibly can, although there have been a few big ones which darkened my world for a long, long time, until the pain of it all eased a little.

"This too shall pass" is a phrase that keeps me going.

Just a comment and probably totally irrelevant but I have to note how nice it is to see God’s pronouns capitalised. That seems to have gone out of fashion and even our service sheets in church no longer do it,

I have been going through a worrying time with a family member recently. I have read several times”when you pray coincides happen and when you don’t they don’t”. My prayers recently have been more direct and an amazing number of coincidences have happened over the past few weeks (at this point the non believers rush in to say yes that what coincidences are and nothing to do with God - don’t bother). Such strange things have happened. No the problem hasn’t been resolved. Yes I am still worried but I can’t discount what a strange number of things have happened, unbelievable coincidences in the last few weeks.
I believe Anja, you don’t. That’s fine, no need to be rude.

Fennel I'm sorry I missed your post as I was posting at the same time. Your friend is right, it did get easier when I accepted that this is the way things are and there's nothing I can do about it.

Charleygirl5 That's fine - I didn't used to either. I remember something someone said to me many years ago "You don't have to believe in God but He believes in you"

I m sorry but I am with Anja I do not believe a word of it. The nuns may have helped, trying to indoctrinate me for 5 years.

Thank you Peonyrose

He may not be real to you Anja and that's OK but He is real to me and others here and that's OK too.

sunseeker and lemongrove those feelings of calmness and peace are beyond description aren't they and they're what I should remember when everything gets on top of me.

I agree Canucka and annsixty. There's a plaque on the wall of the gym I go to and it reads "Take pride in how far you've come and have faith in how far you can go".

This another way of saying, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger “ and I agree with that Canuka

I was listening to a podcast the other day and one sentence struck me: if you look back at your life, you will see that all of your growth, strength, and wisdom as a person has come from the hard times and challenges. I can't argue with that. Doesn't make the hard times any easier, and for some of those horrid experiences, I would rather not have "grown", but it does put an interesting perspective on it for me.

sunseeker I can relate to that, because I had a similar experience ( a long time ago) and have had other similar ones since then too.The feeling of calm and comfort was like nothing else in the world.

Anja how can you be so cruel?
When I have had bad times, difficult times, sad times, I literally hand it all over to God.
I become calm and do not fret about what I cannot change.
Who give sme peace?
God does!

I rarely thought of God until I was in hospital awaiting an operation for cancer. I prayed for the first time since I was a child. I didn't ask to be cured, I asked for the strength and courage to face what was to come. Immediately I felt a calmness flood through me - yes the treatment was difficult but I truly believe that God was with me throughout giving me strength. Even the nurses told me they had rarely had a patient who was so calm and positive.

God? Get real!